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Summertime blues, also known as reverse seasonal affective disorder (SAD) in technical terms, is a kind of depression which manifests from seasonal changes. Do you think that you might have reverse SAD and want to confirm? Well, here are some common telltale signs which can help you to figure out:

Severe Fatigue Due To The HeatExcessive sunlight, humidity and rising temperatures can make you feel fatigued, no doubt, but the same fatigue might be the reason why you have been feeling down lately. Constant exposure to bright sunlight can have almost the same effect as never ending rainfall. If you still want to have sun fun, don’t forget to put on your shades when going out.

NervousnessHave you been throwing fits every now and then since the last few days or weeks? The humid & hot weather can be possibly responsible for your bad mood, and make you anxious as well as nervous. Maintaining a proper balanced diet in addition to meditating or exercising can help.

InsomniaIf you are having trouble falling asleep every night, it can indicate that you are suffering from the summertime blues. Humidity and high temperatures are generally responsible for this symptom. Using air conditioner or a large fan in your bedroom can help.

Body Image IssuesSince summer is the time when people look forward to taking part in water games and activities, it can create body image issues for you in case you are underweight or obese. If you are not comfortable with wearing a bathing suit, then don’t. Otherwise, you can try on something that doesn’t reveal too much.

Not Much Time For OneselfNot having enough time to spend with oneself can also trigger bouts of depression during summer. And it can be caused by various things like sending kids off to the school summer camp, running errands and planning vacations. A good way to avoid feeling over-committed is by taking frequent breaks.

Summer depression is not something to ignore, rather it must be addressed as soon as possible with effective therapy. So if you feel like you have the summertime blues, then do not waste too much time thinking what you can do about it at home. Instead, get in touch with a good counsellor in Bondi who can suitably treat you and also prescribe the right dietary therapy for beating depression and having sun fun without any worries.

As all of us grow and mature and burden of responsibilities fall more and more on our shoulders, we appreciate the value of the cliche ‘life is not a bed of roses’. Some of us have defence mechanisms built inside in our minds through our genetic history or upbringing that can cope with the stresses of life pretty well. However a lot us feel quite helpless in face of growing tensions and stresses that unfolds everyday in our lives. In fact depression and anxiety are common debilitating experience in life of 45% of population in Australia. Every year 1 million Australians experience depression and another 2 million experience anxiety.

Counsellor Jade in Bondi Junction, NSW provides help to people afflicted with worry and depression. She provides counselling in English and French and deals with men and women of all age groups including parents, couples and adolescents. She has Bachelor’s degree in Science (psychology) from London university and Masters degree in Forensic Psychology from University of NSW and has 13 years experience as a counsellor in the field of mental health and women’s health.

The techniques used during therapy are CBT or cognitive behaviour therapy, ACT or acceptance or commitment therapy, psychodynamic therapy. CBT focuses on finding out unhelpful and negative thought patterns and try to balance them out. It also tries to inculcate helpful and positive thought patterns through action thereby alleviating unpleasant feelings. ACT is another method of therapy where instead of fighting negative thought patterns one accepts them and takes steps to improve one’s circumstances. Psychodynamic therapy focuses on the unconscious methods as they’re manifested in an individual’s present behaviour. Goals of this therapy are a client’s self-awareness & understanding of influence of past on the present behaviour.

There are many success stories where patients suffering from anxiety related disorders and depression found real relief. Josie is one of them. She was suffering from depression for a long time. She was a single woman and had a very poor self esteem & body image. It was because of these that she isolated herself from the society and this actually lead to the feelings of depression and loneliness. According to Jade, “Identifying the negative thoughts and feelings, expressing them and feeling understood and supported empowered Josie to challenge her unhelpful thinking about herself, and encouraged her to slowly face her fears of being socially rejected. Josie made efforts to go to dance classes and to ask friends to go out in the evenings – even when she did not feel like it or felt scared of being rejected, which led her to build on each ‘achievement’ and feel stronger and more confident. Six months later, she was more outgoing socially, felt less lonely, took care of her body and her appearance and felt much better about herself. She now has a boyfriend.”

In the first place, do you have an idea about what body image is? It is how people see themselves. And distorted body image, which is also popular as negative body image is an unrealistic view of how someone sees their body. Just like eating disorders, it’s mostly seen in women. However, there are even many men who suffer from this problem. You’ll usually start forming perceptions about your body’s attractiveness, acceptability, health and functionality in early childhood. This continues to form as you grow up and get feedback from your family members, peers, coaches etc. Personality traits like perfectionism as well as self criticism may even influence the development of negative internalised image of a body.

Symptoms of distorted body image

The signs and symptoms that show that you have a distorted or negative body image include:

thinking negative comments about your body as well as frequent comparison of your own size and shape to other people

obsessional self looking at the mirrors

feeling envious of a friend’s body or just commonly the body of someone else or celebrity in the media

Why distorted body image is caused?

At times body image is impacted negatively by one or more important events. For instance, a gymnast who is constant;y chided by her fellow athletes or coach to lose a bit of weight, can develop deeply ingrained & long lasting discontentment with her body, irrespective of how thin she gets.

If you’re someone who is worried about your body image, make sure to ask these questions to yourself:

Is my idea of beauty misrepresented from years of media exposure, which glorifies a thin ideal that’s unrealistic for a lot of people to get in a health manner?

Am I mostly criticising about my own looks?

How to treat distorted body image?

Being treated for negative or distorted body image is a significant step to recovery. This is a major problem and will not just go like that. Acknowledging and recognising your feelings as well as accompanying body sensations is going to help you become a lot more comfortable & reduce the tendency to suppress feelings & revert to unhealthy and negative inner denunciations for escaping uncomfortable feelings.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), the approach where irrational thoughts are analysed, recognised and restructured to more logical and coherent self task, is mainly used by many a counsellor in Bondi Junction, NSW.

Depression can drain your energy and hope. Recovering from it needs action, but getting yourself involved in different activities can be hard when you’re depressed. So, what’s it that you need to do?

Maintain supportive relationships

Isolation & loneliness can worsen or trigger depression. Cultivate supporting relationships to overcome it. Talk to someone who loves you and cares for you. Talk face to face and not via social media, phone or text. The person whom you talk to should be a good listener. Keep up with social activities even if you feel depressed. Join a support group of depression if you want. Being a member of such a group you will be able to gain valuable advice on how to cope.

Get moving

When you are depressed, don’t sit idle. Exercising can be a great way to relieve your symptoms of depression. Physical activity even reduces stress & releases endorphins, which basically energise the spirits and make you feel good. Don’t let negative thoughts grasp you. Keep yourself busy in something or the other especially the activities that you enjoy doing in order to deal with your depression.

Eat a healthy, mood-boosting diet

The food you eat can have a direct impact on what you feel. So, don’t eat foods like caffeine, trans fats, alcohol, foods with chemical preservatives as they may affect your mood adversely. Also keep in mind not to skip meals. Make sure to eat foods and fruits that boost your B vitamins.

Involve yourself in activities that make you feel good

To overcome depression, do things that make you feel relaxed and energises you. Follow a healthy lifestyle, learn how to manage stress in a better way, set limits on what you should do and schedule fun activities in your daily schedule. Get a better sleep schedule, practice relaxation techniques and if you have a pet take care of it. Pets can bring a lot of joy & companionship to your life helping you feel less isolated. You can also go out with your friends, get yourself involve in a sport that you like and do other things that you enjoy.

Challenge pessimistic thinking

Depression gives a negative spin to everything. It is very hard to break out of this negative mind set by thinking positive. So, what you can do is challenge your pessimistic thoughts.

Get professional help

Even after taking all these self-help steps, if you’ve found that your depression has worsened, seek help of a professional psychologist in Bondi Junction. Don’t think that since you need the help of a professional, you are weak. Sometimes, depression can be best treated by professionals.

People can get anxious or stressed due to a number of reasons. Work pressure, relationship problems, increasing body weight are some of the most common ones. However it is important to cope with such problems in a prudent manner. Most importantly accelerating positivity within oneself is one of the best methods to get rid of feelings of chagrin.

If you are one of those individuals who suffer from chronic anxiety, then immediately try the following natural ways to kick out negative feelings from your life. Have a look at the undermentioned tips:

1. Spend some quality time with yourself:

You have spent enough of your time in entertaining or satisfying others. But now it’s time to think about yourself. Spend at least some time on your own to make yourself feel good. During this particular period do whatever you like to do. Listen to soothing music, practice yoga, get a massage or meditate. Make sure that the activity you have decided to do comforts your mind.

2. Get plenty of sleep:

In order to kick off anxiety you need to relax both physically and mentally. Thus having enough sleep will help you to maintain a calm mind. It will ultimately prevent the growth of negative feelings.

3. Visit a therapist:

A professional therapist is one who can guide you with the best methods of generating positivity. Hence, fix an appointment with a qualified and experiences psychologist in Bondi and discuss your problems with him/her. You will be showered with positive advice. Follow them on a regular basis and forget all your problems.

4. Don’t forget to laugh:

People often give more priority to their problems and forget to live the present. Try to avoid doing such foolish things. Enjoy each and every moment of your life. Don’t miss a chance to laugh. You will never have the moments gone by back in your life. Learn to enjoy the delightful journey of your life. Focusing more on a cheerful life will automatically make you to forget about your worries.

5. Get yourself involved:

Involve yourself in different types of interactive activities. Join a club, or hang out with your friends. By doing this you will be able to get a break from the daily stress of your life.

Never use artificial remedies to shield yourself from stress and anxiety. Focus more on having a positive attitude, and maintain a simple, disciplined and healthy life.